Wire-bending apparatus



'1. D. SMITH. WIRE BENDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, I920. v 1,392,713., Patented 00. 4, 1921.

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Q3 w I h Q I INVENTORI J. D. SMITH.

WIRE BENDING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILEDJUNE so, 1920.

1,392,? 13, Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

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Zl'AMES ID. SMITH, OF CHICAGO,.-ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO FRANKLIN IP. 1 SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WIRE-BENDING APPARATUS.

T0 allwhomit may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, Cook county, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVire-Bending Apparatus, of which the following is declared to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to wire bending apparatus, and has been especially designed for use in straightening or-bending out the end portions or-marginal portions of the wires of diamond mesh wire fabric, preparatory to assembling the same with its border or frame. It is well known to those skilled in the art to Whichthis invention pertains, that the end portions or marginal portions of the wires of diamond mesh fabric are bent out to form the connections between the fabric and the frame bars or border, and this operation is doneby hand, and requires the services of skilled workmen. The object of the present invention, is to provide an apparatus for performing the operation of bending out the wires of diamond mesh wire fabric and performing that operation quickly, evenly and with little effort on the part of the workmen, whereby more unskilled labor may be used for performing this operation on wire mesh fabric.

The invention consists in the several novel features, hereinafter fully. set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus, embodying a simple form of the pres ent invention, Fig. 2 is a rear elevation, looking inthe direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1, of fragments of an anvil and a wire bending tool' used-for bendingthe wires, and showing the'end portions of the wires of a fragment of wire mesh fabric in place on the anvil; Fig.1?) is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts in position after the tool has been brought down to perform the bending operation; Fig; 4 is a plan of a frag ment of the anvil; F ig. 5 is an under plan of 'a fragment of the tool;.Fig..6 is a view partly in planand partly in horizontal section of a fragment of the anvil, tool and wire mesh fabric, showing the parts in the position occupied before the bends are made, the line of section being indicated at 6-6 in Fig. 8;. Fig. 7 is aview similar to Fig. 6 but Specification of Letters Patent.

5 Application filed June so, 1920. Serial No. 392,978.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

77 in Fig. 8, and Fig. 8 is a vertical cross sectiontaken on line 88 in Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawlngs, the reference character 10, designates suitable mechanism' for actuating the wire bending tool, and it may comprise a press, of any desirable type, such as a foot press, or a power press. It is shown as having the usual work support or base 11, and a head 12 in which is guided a plunger or tool support 13, which is reciprocated by the ordinary punch press-mechanism. An operating lever or treadle 10 is provided as usual for controlling the operation of the press, and preferably the press is of the type which reciprocates the plunger 13, once each time the lever or treadle is manipulated.

Fixedly secured to the work support or base 11 is an anvil or work holder A which may be in the form of a bar or having in its upper face obliquely disposed grooves 14 arranged to receive the portions of the wires of the fabric B adjacentthe margin thereof,-

as is clearly illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. The grooves may be formed by cutting away material in the top of the bar a, whereby upstanding lugs 15, 15 'are left on the upper face of the bar. The alternate grooves 14 are parallel and run in one oblique direction and the intermediate grooves 14 are parallel, but run in an oppositeoblique direction to receive the intersecting portions of diamond mesh wire fabric. Said lugs and grooves act as a guide and holder for the wire mesh fabric during the bending operation.

Located directly beyond the bar a in line with the apexes or points 16 of the lugs 15, are small upstanding pins or lugs 17 around which the end portions of the wires are bent during the-bending operation and said pins or lugs 17 may be supported from the bar a by supports-18 that project from the far side ofthe bar a, said .pins or lugs 17 are located adjacent the places lettered Z), where the end portionsb, ofthe wire mesh fabric intersect (see Figs. 6 and 7) whereby said end portions may be bent sharply at those intersections. A shoulder or rest 19 is located directly beyond the pins or lugs 17 and prevents the wires from being bent down by the tool. The shoulder or rest 19 may be in the form of a thin plate extending up from a base portion a of the bar a, and fixedly secured thereto, and thesupports 18 may be secured to the upper edge of said plate 19 and may receive their outer support therefrom.

The bending tool lugs 15, and in the operation of the appa-- ratus, move down past the rear faces of said lugs 15, and bar a.

'The exact shape of said wire bending fingers is immaterial to this invention, broadly considered, but their lower ends are shaped to freely enter'said triangular spaces between the wires, as they move down, and to spread and bend the ends of the wires apart into substantially parallel relation with each other. In the form of fingers shown in the drawings, the lower ends 22 are of triangular shape, as clearly. seen Figs. 5 and 6,'to conform, generally, to

, Wardly extendingnotch23 formed in each finger, which extends lengthwise of the bar 20 and which'permits the thin plate 19 to enter the finger, or in other words permits the finger 21 to' move down over said plate 19, since the latter is located in the path of movement of the fingers. In case said thin plate is omitted, the notchesin the fin gers can be omitted. V

From the edges '24:, of the extend two angularly disposed, upwardly sloping sides .25, thatinitially engage and bend the extremeends ofthe wires of each pair away from each other. The triangular ends of the fingers are shown in Fig. 6 as 'entering the triangular spaces between the wires. Inasmuch as said faces or sides 25 slope or diverge from each other man upward direction, downward movement of said fingers will obviously spread apart the end portions ofthe wires acted on. The fingers are further formed with substantially parallel, vertical faces or sides 26 that extend at right angles to the plane of the bar, and which finally engage the end portions of the wires adjacent their intersecting points I) at-the pins or lugs 17,'and bend them about said pins or lugs-into substantially parallel relation to each other as clearlyseen in Fig. 7 j

. A table or bench 27"is provided adjacent C comprises a bar 20," which is fixedly secured to the plunger 13," and has a plurality of wire bending fingers finger ends 22' the anvil A, for supporting the wire mesh fabric while being operated on, it being understoodthat the wire mesh fabric-may be of large dimensions of square or oblong or other shape. Any convenient number of wire bending fingers and co-acting wire holding lugs, and pins may be used and it of intersections I) placed between the lugs 15*, and pins 17, as seen in Fig. 6. The lever or treadle' of the press is then shifted to start the press, and the bending tool is thereupon moved down and back by the press mechanism and stopped. As has been explained, the wire bending. fingers engage and spread apart or bend the projecting end portions of the wires about the pins 17 bringing them'into' substantially parallel position. 'The fabric is then lifted from the anvil, moved along to bring the adjacent, unbent wire end portions over the anvil, in place in the grooves, and the operationrepeated. In this manner the: entire margin or edge portion of the sheet or piece of wiremeshfabric can be prepared for assemblage with the frame or border in considerably less time than can be done by skilled and experienced workmen, and with much less labor and by comparatively unskilled workmen. s

7 As is well understood, the bent end portions are inserted through holes in frame bars that form the'border or frame for the fabric and said end portions are bent down upon said bars. These: subsequent "operations may be done manually or by suitable mechanism, which requires no description so far as this specificationis concerned.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention; I; desire, therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form "of the construction shown and described,.but intend, in the following claims, to point out all ofthe invention disclosed herein. .I claiin as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent: I

lpWire bending apparatus for the purpose specified, comprising an anvil for hold 7 .ZLIWir'e bending apparatus for the, pun

pose specified, comprising a stationary member, having wire engaging means for holding the wires of diamond mesh fabric in fixed relation, a wire bending tool having wire-bending fingers arranged to enter spaces between the end portions of the wires of the fabric, and formed with diverging faces operating to spread apart said end portions of the wires, and means for actuating said tool.

3. Wire bending apparatus for the purpose specified, comprising an anvil for holding diamond mesh wire fabric, a wire bending tool having a plurality of wire bending fingers, each formed with diverging faces for engaging and bending the end portions of the wires of the fabric into substantially parallel lines, and tool moving means.

4. Wire bending apparatus for the purpose specified, comprising an anvil having Wire mesh fabric holding means, and pins about which the end portions of the wires are to be bent, a wire bending tool having a plurality of wire bending fingers formed with wire bending faces that are arranged to engage and bend said end portions about said pins, and tool moving means.

5. Wire bending apparatus for the purpose specified, comprising an anvil formed with upstanding lugs arranged to enter the spaces between Wires of diamond mesh wire fabric, and acting to hold said fabric in position to be operated on, a wire bending tool having wire bending fingers, formed with diverging, angularly disposed faces adapted to engage and bend the end portions of the wires into substantially parallel lines, and tool moving means.

6. WVire bending apparatus for the purpose specified, comprising an anvil formed with upstanding lugs arranged to enter'the spaces between wires of diamond mesh wire fabric, and acting to hold said fabric in position to be operated on, pins adjacent said lugs, about which the end portions of the wires are to be bent, a wire bending tool having wire bending fingers, formed with diverging, angularly disposed faces adapted to engage and bend the end portions of the wires about said pins into substantially parallel lines, and tool moving means.

7. Wire bending apparatus for the purpose specified comprising an anvil having wire holding lugs, pins about which the end portions of the wires of diamond mesh wire fabric are to be bent, a shoulder forming a support for the ends of the wires, a bending tool having wire bending fingers formed with wire bending faces, there being notches in said fingers for receiving said shoulder when moved down over it, and tool moving means. 7

JAMES-D. SMITH. 

